Humans are always fickle lovers of the new and weary of the old. For instance, now that he had witnessed Professor Agasa's capabilities, Ryu didn't value Akihiko Kayaba quite as much.
The prototype was completed in less than a week, and another week was spent adjusting it to mass-production standards. The efficiency was so high it left Ryu dumbfounded.
He had originally thought that finishing before the deadline of the "Fairy Dance" event was somewhat of a tall order, and that it wouldn't matter much if they didn't make it—it was just a matter of adjusting the schedule, after all. It's quite normal to flake out on such large-scale events~
But unexpectedly, not only did Professor Agasa not delay, he practically went 'SEED mode,' obliterating the deadline and completing the task ahead of schedule!
Now, basically only the custom-made "Berserker" for Ryu remained unfinished. After all, it was completely different from the ordinary power suits; it was fundamentally a different product that required a redesign.
Ryu was like a model kit enthusiast who had placed an order for a limited edition Moonlight Butterfly; during the days of waiting, he was apprehensive, expectant, and restless, feeling as if the flow of time had suddenly slowed down.
During this tormenting time, Ryu lived a routine life, basically shuttling between school, the company, and his home. Aside from his net worth continuing to rise as always, there was nothing particularly worth celebrating.
On the other hand, his childhood friend, Fujiwara Chika, encountered a small problem:
A heavy-hearted Yotsuya Mieruko came to the Shuchiin Tabletop Gaming Club one day. While playing the "Millionaire" game, perhaps because the worry on her face could not be concealed, she couldn't help but voice her troubles when asked by the curious Fujiwara Chika.
"A cat?"
"Yes, a black cat my grandma raises."
Mieruko looked at the cards in her hand, then looked at Chika, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Her hand was seen through by the opponent every time... She wasn't an idiot; after playing a few times, she was bound to realize something was wrong.
Fujiwara-san changing the topic was probably also to distract Mieruko, right?
I really wish she would apply this serious attitude to her studies—Ryu often criticized her internally like this.
"It's been about ten months, I suppose. During a heavy snowfall, Grandma found a cat in the countryside."
"A stray (Nora)?"
"Mm, rather than a stray, it was actually a kitten." Mieruko's tone was nostalgic and warm. "It probably hadn't even been weaned yet. A very ordinary female cat, black. My little brother saw it when it was small, and we even took it to the pet hospital for a checkup and vaccines... Later, living in the countryside, Grandma had a kitten for company, and her lonely life changed quite a bit."
"Ooh~ Isn't that a very heartwarming story?"
"But Grandma is getting on in years, and recently she sprained her back and needs to stay in the hospital for a few days. She asked Mom to bring the cat back to take care of it temporarily. I don't have the time, but my brother likes it very much and volunteered to take care of it—it was just delivered today. I even saw it when I went out."
Speaking of this, Mieruko revealed an indescribable expression for some reason: "It's just that, from what I've seen so far, it's a little... troublesome."
"Does the community not allow raising cats?"
"How should I put it... not seeing it for a few months, it has really grown quite a lot."
"Animal cubs are just like that" Chika's face brimmed with a motherly smile, thinking of the pet dog she raised herself. "A tiny thing you could hold in one hand turns into a huge one in the blink of an eye"
"Yeah..."
"That's a good thing!"
Chika clapped her hands: "I love kitties the most too. Why not bring it to school for us to see?"
"Eh? School? That might be a bit inconvenient..." Mieruko hesitated.
"Indeed."
"Chika is being a bit thoughtless."
The members of the Tabletop Gaming Club nodded one after another.
"After all, Mieruko isn't a student of Shuchiin."
"No, even if she were from Shuchiin, she couldn't bring a pet in."
"Though Chika does do that occasionally~"
"After all, she is a person of authority. The Student Council won't discipline their own."
"Truly corrupt!"
"This is how public power is abused~"
"Alright!"
Slap!
Chika stood up, laughing it off: "Why did this suddenly turn into a trial against me? Weren't we discussing Mieruko's cat?"
"Mmh~"
"Mieruko, is it cute?"
"The cat?"
"Yes, the cat—is it as cute as you?"
"President, that is harassment." Mieruko gave a cold glance, then hesitated and said, "If you ask if it's cute... it is indeed cute, but... how should I put it... it's quite astonishing."
"I feel like it's going to be a very handsome cat!"
"Hearing Mieruko hem and haw like this makes me want to see it!"
"Then it's decided!"
Chika slammed the cards onto the table in one go: "Today's after-school activity is to go to Mieruko's house to see the cat!"
"Agreed... Hmm? Wait a minute, why are you throwing away such a crappy hand! Sly!"
The group arrived at Mieruko's house at five in the afternoon. Just as they opened the door and called out, they heard a thump-thump sound coming from upstairs. The commotion was not small.
"Is your brother home?"
"No, he has club activities."
"Eh? Then this is..."
The members of the Tabletop Gaming Club looked towards the depths of the house. A massive black shadow leisurely descended the stairs, taking mincing steps as it walked towards the entrance with a jerky rhythm.
"!"
"!"
"!"
In that instant, everyone except Mieruko froze. Even someone with nerves as coarse as Chika fell into a daze. No one dared to breathe loudly; they could only slowly raise their heads to look at that towering figure.
"Little Black, you came to welcome me~"
Mieruko raised her hand to greet the other party, looking calmly at the giant cat. The other party also obediently let out a "Meow."
Just this one sound awakened the girls from their petrification:
"Eh? Cat? Is this a cat?!"
"Amazing... isn't that a mascot costume?"
"Look! The tail is moving!"
"Idiot, there are movable styles for tails! You just have to fix it in place!"
"Pervert (H)! The President is such a pervert!"
Amidst the chaos, Chika blinked while skillfully pulling out her phone and instinctively dialing that number.
Beep~
Beep~
Click!
"Moshi moshi, Ryu-chan? Hurry up and call the Monster Squad over."
"Huh?" A stunned voice came from the other end of the phone.
Chika took a deep breath: "Cat... there's a cat here!"
***
I am a cat.
I am also not a cat.
I, who once served as a civil servant in Hell, due to this and that reason, had already reincarnated into the body of a sickly and tiny female kitten when I opened my eyes one day.
Is this some kind of prank? I couldn't help but ask myself.
Recalling the past, the number of demonic gods I have offended is countless. People with the motive to do such a thing probably couldn't be counted on two paws.
Was it King Enma who finally couldn't endure the excessive heavy labor and decided to rebel against my assistance?
Or was it that hateful divine beast, Hakutaku, who got dead drunk again and knocked me into the cycle of reincarnation?
I don't understand. But at that time, I possessed no power, nor could I sense the existence of "Hell." I was merely the most ordinary dying animal cub.
Although it wasn't my first experience, no human or cat would like that feeling.
Where will I go after death this time? Will Hell still be the one I am familiar with?
Could it be that once I go down there, I'll see Asuras and evil spirits running rampant, the Land of Yomi reappearing in the world?
In the worst-case scenario, perhaps this body is of a precious foreign cat breed, and my soul will head to EU (European) Hell.
I should still be able to handle Satan and Beelzebub, but my resume and seniority in the Japanese Hell would be invalidated from then on. The pension I've paid for thousands of years would also...
Thinking about this and that, my frail body gradually couldn't hold on. Body heat was lost in the rain, and my limbs and tail stiffened.
Just when I thought I was about to welcome a second death, an old woman holding a red paper umbrella appeared~
——
The life of a house cat is surprisingly nice. Even though she is just a countryside grandmother, she is unexpectedly attentive and appropriate.
A warm house, delicious food, clean water, and tableware with my name written on it—all the conditions required to sustain life are complete.
As the price for obtaining these, I merely have to endure human petting and be forced to watch the expressions of humans losing control.
Sometimes I really want to say "look at this stupid face," but considering my current position, roasting my owner like that would be too ungrateful.
No labor required, no performance quotas. Every day is just playing, eating, and drinking. As long as I manage my own physiological phenomena, I have no worries at all.
By the way, although reincarnating into a female cat's body makes one want to retort, on second thought, regardless of male or female, a cat ultimately has to suffer a cut... so I let it go.
After all, I was indifferent to such matters to begin with.
...To be honest, this life is too slothful.
If it were me during my Hell period, I would definitely wave a big stick and severely whip such a lazybones!
But now I am a cat, and my way of thinking has probably been influenced, so I've gradually come to enjoy it~
Sometimes I even suspect what exactly I was working so hard for over the past thousands of years...
However, eating the ruler's salary means sharing the ruler's worries. Having received wages (cat food), one must properly fulfill the obligations of a house cat. This has always been my principle:
Let's start practicing backflips from today!
——
The owner is a very gentle and kind grandmother.
Folklore often says that cats' eyes can see things humans cannot, commonly known as ghosts.
That is just a rumor. Apart from a few special individuals, most cats are idiots who treat their tails as another living creature.
I am different. Although I have no power, I can still see things that should not exist in this world.
The mortal world... has become filthy again~
I suspect something went wrong in Hell, or perhaps I came to a different Japan. In short, when I was in Hell, the Living World never retained so many evil spirits.
What worries me is that this grandmother possesses a weak but definitely existing spiritual vision capability.
Most psychics can only see faint black shadows. In good condition, they can hear some voices or something, but basically, they are not quite clear about what they are fighting—perhaps precisely because of this, they can maintain courage.
Evil spirits are the same as vicious dogs; they are guys who like to bully the weak. Once a human loses courage, even a vigorous male will become as frail as an infant.
Grandma herself already has no fear of death, but she is too weak...
Even with a broad mindset and no fear of so-called ghosts and monsters, many cunning evil spirits still come to pester her.
I am very concerned, but with my current power, I can do nothing. I even have to pretend not to see to avoid attracting the attention of the evil spirits.
If I cultivate for ten years and grow a second tail, I should be able to protect the owner... and the cat food in her hand from the evil spirits.
But for an old person already sixty or seventy years old, this time seems a bit long, and the evil spirits the owner encounters are getting stronger and stronger.
No owner means no cat food and no warm house. I do not want to sit and wait for death.
Good!
From now on, let's carry out Hell-style demonic god training!
Grandma sprained her waist, and I was sent from the countryside to the city. Grandma's grandson, a fledgling young boy, became my new owner.
The training effect was very poor. After all, I am just an ordinary cat. My demonic god power has dissipated completely. Things being what they are, I can only carry out some physical cultivation, using spiritual power to boost the effect at most.
"Little... Little Black? You... you grew up!" Grandma's grandson seemed very surprised. He had seen me in my infancy, so he was probably scared by the difference before and after.
It can't be helped. After all, most tools in the human world are not prepared for cat paws, so I worked hard to exercise and obtained a relatively tall body.
For some reason, humans are basically very surprised by my changes, including the classmates brought back by Grandma's granddaughter today, who also had shocked expressions.
Are upright-walking cats that rare? China's Panda-kun is very popular~
Good grief~
I really can't stand you all, foolish human girls. I know what you want and have long mastered the unique skill to deal with you—
"Meow~"
——The girls' faces looked even worse.
How strange...
The divine skill known as "acting cute" actually failed. I clearly practiced repeatedly in front of the TV facing the Panda-kun next door every day; I should have grasped the essence!
Where did the problem occur? Is it indeed because I'm not round enough?
Tsk! It seems being too disciplined isn't a good thing either.
This situation didn't change until a new car drove to the door and a new guest arrived.
"!"
"!"
I locked eyes with the human boy from five meters away. In an instant, it was as if I was struck by lightning.
What a marvelous feeling~
There is some quality in this boy that is attracting me!
What is it? I have absolutely no clue...
However, one thing is certain: he is no ordinary person. He possesses a very powerful baleful aura and spiritual power, comparable even to famous Onmyoji.
Such figures were not uncommon in Hell, but since coming to the Living World, this should be the first one, right?
Such a person should be like Mieruko, able to see the appearance of ghostly things clearly... However, with this baleful aura, weak ghostly things would actively avoid him, just like small animals vanish when a fierce tiger goes on patrol.
Thus, a marvelous idea popped up in my mind:
Let's entrust Grandma's granddaughter to him!
Grandma's granddaughter also has Yin-Yang Eyes, and daily life is very difficult. This way, there would be no need to worry about her safety issues. Moreover, looking at his appearance, he is also the type human girls like.
Finally... I glanced at the car parked there, and the entourage scattered around.
If I move into this person's house, I'll definitely be able to eat top-tier canned cat food, right?
——Considering the granddaughter's happiness and safety, I decided to support this marriage!
If I were still in Hell right now, maybe I would have gone directly next door to find Yue Lao (Matchmaker God) to help tie a Chinese knot~
...While the cat sized up the human, the human was also sizing up the cat.
Suddenly, the boy revealed a smile, stepped forward a few paces, and took hold of my paw—
"Want to come to my company and be a mascot?"
——Ah, this sense of déjà vu!
This sentence put me in a slight trance, instantly recalling the period when the Ten Kings of Hell's court was just being founded, and I constantly recruited demon gods everywhere to be civil servants in order to fill the vacancies...
Ah! I understand!
That marvelous resonance!
This person is the same as me during my time as the Hell Assistant Officer—
He is an evil spirit who drags everyone to the grindstone regardless of gender or race!
________________________________________
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